Always
by kiwisdream2
Summary: Slightly AU: Alot of the people in their lives had come and gone, whether they had been at fault or not. It took a long time for Kaname and Zero to realize it, although they probably knew it all along. Open-ended, KxZ if you squint.


**Always**  
**Slightly AU: Alot of the people in their lives had come and gone, whether they had been at fault or not. It took a long time for Kaname and Zero to realize it, although they probably knew it all along. Open-ended, KxZ if you squint.**

* * *

They'd meet long ago, a double digit number that would take both fingers and toes to count. The meeting was short and brief; a couple of minutes spent rambling on a balcony, both of them complaining about the party their parents had forced them to attend. They'd been young and hyper- so full of energy that to them it just wasn't fair that they had to use their indoor voices and not wrinkle or dirty the stuffy outfits they had to where. They weren't allowed to drink the juice the adults where drinking, and the people holding the snacks on silver plates high up and out of reach where hoarders and wouldn't share anything thing.

The two where both very different children, from very different backgrounds, but they could both agree that the party was stupid, and where excited that there was someone around their age they could talk to. So excited in fact that they had forgotten to even mention each other's names before their parents called them back into the party, scolding them for disappearing and making them worry. The two boys left, and as children often do, forgot about each other.

* * *

They wouldn't meet for another couple years, three or four, it was hard to tell and the pair couldn't really agree on numbers when they reminisced.

This time they had met on a snowy day. One of the boy's babysitters had dropped him off at the other boy's house because he needed to go somewhere, and couldn't leave him by himself. The pair greeted each other this time, a certain shyness and rigid politeness when greeting strangers having formed with age.

"I'm Zero," the younger, silver-haired, and lilac-eyed boy greeted.

"Kaname Kuran," The older, wine-eyed brunette replied, with a tone that most would confuse with arrogance. Those were the only real words they got to say to each other before Kaname's parents jumped the lilac-eyed boy, dragging him into the house and trying to find out what would entertain him.

Zero just looked at Kaname with pleading eyes, not entirely comfortable with the constant coddeling. Kaname just shrugged, sitting in a plush armchair and grabbing the book he had set down when his parents had brought him out to meet the boy. Eventually his parents left, having given up on the game they had tried to get Zero to play, and going to get some snacks for the boy to eat. Zero continued to look at Kaname, eventually standing up, and looking over Kaname's shoulder at the book he was reading.

Kaname tried to ignore him, slightly annoyed by the lingering gaze. They stayed like that for a while. The silver-headed boy stayed silent, reading along, and soon climbing onto the seat with Kaname. Kaname eventually grew comfortable with the boys gaze, even enjoying it, while his parents left the two in peace. But nothing lasts forever, and this meeting ended when Zero's babysitter returned, grabbing the boy and taking him home after having a few words with Kaname's parents. The two didn't forget each other this time, but they still hadn't become friends.

* * *

When both the boys had gotten into the same middle school, they met again. But by now they had started straying away from childhood innocence. They had learned about prejudice, one of the boy's parents having died- murdered by the brunettes race. This time they argued, and strangely enough, they became closer. There was lots of secrets, and sadness, but there was happiness to, and a sort of weird understanding and respect between them. They could be considered friends if you looked at them and how they acted when they were alone, but in a crowd they were enemies. It was just how it worked.

But fate has a way of shaking things up when you find stability, regardless of how dysfunctional it is, and the older boy went away- to high school. It wasn't a school far away, but Zero still never really bothered to visit him. If you asked him today why he didn't, he wouldn't be able to answer. At the time he didn't really need to visit him, or at least didn't feel like he did. He was moving on with life, and he just sort of got lost in himself.

* * *

The next time they met, Zero regretted not visiting him. It was ridicules how good he felt when he was able to see Kaname's face again, like someone had lifted a weight off his chest, and the smile of Kaname's face said that he felt it too. God, they were stupid.

Lots of the prejudice they had previously faded by then, although the conflict in the world around them hadn't. Perhaps in this way, separating had been a good thing. They had developed on their own, and hadn't influenced each other's opinions. They'd grown up, but not all the way. They were still too dependent on someone, shoving all the the feeling their pasts had given them onto her in an unhealthy way, and Zero was starting to see it break her down, and change her.

"We're being too dependent," Zero said one day, when the both of them where alone. He'd thought about it alot recently, and now just seemed like the time to bring it up.

"What do you mean?" Kaname said, shifting through some of the home work he'd recived from his classes.

"On Yuki," Zero finished, remembering the various events they'd dragged the girl into, making her see things she didn't need to see.

"I love her," He said, although it didn't sound like a confession, but a textbook fact.

"I do to," Zero replied curtly, "but it still isn't fair."

There was a long pause as the air filled with silence, Kaname trying to ignore the boy as he continued to shuffle his papers, not really reading any of the material as Zero's words ran through his head.

"I think you should leave," Kaname had said, " I need to think."

Zero rolled his eyes, jumping off Kaname's bed and walking toward his bedroom door, opening it, " There's nothing to think about, Kuran."

Kaname sighed as the door shut behind Zero, running a hand through his hair, as he silently agreed with him.

* * *

The war that soon started was pretty stupid in both Kaname and Zero's opinion. It was long and drawn out, a constant simmering crock pot of hatred and lies and stupid, stupid people. Yuki died, something that struck Zero and Kaname pretty hard. She'd died protecting them, but really she couldn't have possibly hurt them more. They went back to the fighting they did in middle school, blaming each other and yelling. There was lots of silent treatment, and exploding building to.

But things happen and people move on. Tears are shed, but then they dry. Wars are raged, and end, and begin again. People fight, and make up, and forget about each other. A lot of the people in their lives had come and gone, whether they had been at fault or not. It took a long time for Kaname and Zero to realize it, although they probably knew it all along.

They would always have each other.

* * *

**Hope you liked it.**


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